Aliyah Theresa Juliate Davis, 36, of East Windsor, pleaded guilty today in New Haven federal court to a brazen string of crimes committed while dodging prison time for a prior fraud conviction. The defendant, formerly known as Theresa Juliate Sutherland, admitted to wire fraud, lying on a U.S. passport application, making false statements, and aggravated identity theft—all while evading incarceration for a massive identity theft scheme that bilked employers out of $400,000.
Davis was sentenced in December 2014 in Hartford federal court to 51 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for defrauding an insurance company where she worked. She was ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution to the victim company and three prior employers. But instead of surrendering, she launched a campaign of deception. Starting in January 2015, Davis, through her attorney, filed five motions to delay her prison reporting date, claiming she had terminal cancer and heart conditions—lies backed by forged medical letters she created and signed with fake doctor signatures.
The court bought the ruse—multiple times—extending her reporting date thanks to the phony documents. Meanwhile, in March 2015, Davis legally changed her name to Aliyah Theresa Juliate Davis, obtained a new Social Security number, and secured a Connecticut driver’s license under her new identity. It was a full-scale reinvention designed to vanish from the justice system while continuing to exploit it.
In April 2016, Davis walked into a U.S. Postal Service facility on Weston Street in Hartford and applied for a U.S. passport. She checked “No” when asked if she’d ever applied for a passport before—despite obtaining one in 2007 under her prior name, Theresa Juliate Sutherland. That lie alone is a federal crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Even as she built this false life, Davis continued to defraud the state. Between May 28 and September 10, 2016, while working at an insurance company and later a hospital under her new identity, she collected $9,808 in unemployment benefits from the State of Connecticut under her old name. The state paid out benefits to a woman it believed was jobless—while she was actively employed under a stolen identity.
Davis now faces up to 20 years for wire fraud, 10 years for the passport lie, five years for making a false statement, and a mandatory two-year sentence for aggravated identity theft—all to be served after her original 51-month sentence. She has been in custody since her arrest on September 17, 2016, and is set for sentencing before U.S. District Judge Janet Bond Arterton on March 17, 2017. The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of State, Diplomatic Security Service, U.S. Department of Labor – OIG, Office of the Chief State’s Attorney, Connecticut Department of Labor, and East Windsor Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas P. Morabito is prosecuting.
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Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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